WORKSHOPS
Emergency Preparedness for Museums: Disaster Planning, Prevention, Protection, Response and Recovery
This workshop will equip the museum worker with the knowledge necessary to properly prepare for any emergency such as a fire, flood, earthquake, or minor disaster such as a burst pipe. This conservation form has prepared disaster plans for large and small institutions, and has worked in real emergency response situations. The emphasis for this workshop is placed on practical and "real-life" solutions to preparing a museum disaster plan.
1. Case Study: Fire at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum
2. Preparing a Disaster Plan- Contents of a Disaster Plan- Prevention- Protection - includes First Response Sheet- Response- Recovery- Rehabilitation- Writing a Disaster Plan-Committee- Needs Assessment- Format
3. Disaster Response and Recovery- Response Procedures- Recovery Procedures- Disaster SuppliesDepartment of the

Interior Curatorial Staff Meeting
This first-ever Department-wide meeting is open to all curators, property managers and discipline specialists responsible for managing Department of the Interior Museum Property. Join your DOI colleagues for formal training and discussion of issues such as reporting, funding, eliminating cataloging backlogs, security, etc.Draft Agenda8:30 AM Welcome Ron Wilson
- Open Forum - Participants
- Contaminated Collections: Issues and Solutions - TBA
- Preservation of Museum Property: Collection Storage - Donald Cumberland
- Updates: Current LegislationRiver Basin Survey Collections - Ron Wilson, et.al.
- Reporting: Updates and Issues - Ron Wilson
- Follow Up to Open Forum - Ron Wilson/Participants

Ins and Outs of Large Museum Collection Repositories
Collections managers and curators at the National Museum of the American Indian's Cultural Resources Center, the National Museum of Natural History's Museum Support Center, and the National Park Service's Museum Resource Center team up to offer the participant an insider's view of the day-to-day operations of these three facilities. The workshop will focus on issues of building design, layout, innovative storage techniques, things that worked and didn't work, and, of course, the collections. The workshop will spend one day (9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) at the NPS Museum Resource Center. The second day will be spent at the National Museum of the American Indian's Cultural Resources Center and the National Museum of Natural History's Museum Support Center. Transportation and a box lunch will be provided each day. Participation will be limited to the first 25 registrants, so sign up early to ensure that space is available.Tuesday - National Park Service, National Capital Region, Museum Resource CenterWednesday - National Museum of the American Indian's Cultural Resources Center and the National Museum of Natural History's Museum Support Center

Tribal Forum
Preconference activity for tribal members. This session will provide tribal members attending the conference with a forum to discuss issues they currently face in managing their cultural resources. Some suggested topics for discussion include:
* Recent amendments to the National Historic Preservation Act and Traditional Cultural Property applications: How do they affect your tribe?
* Trust Issues/Cultural Issues: Sacred sites/Sacred lands: What can you do to protect sites sacred to your tribe? What avenues can be used to bring attention to these issues?
* Improving communication and relationships between federal agencies and tribes: How can you make your voice heard?
* NAGPRA: It's been 12 years since NAGPRA was passed. What's working? What isn't? What role do federal agencies play in NAGPRA compliance? What is the latest on regulations addressing culturally unidentifiable human remains? Other NAGPRA issues?
* Funding concerns: How to get increased funding; alternate sources of funding. How can I make inadequate P.L. 638 funds do all agency compliance activities?
* Tribes as repositories: With more tribes opening cultural centers to house collections, just what does it mean for a tribe to be a federal repository? What standards are expected or required for curation staff, access to collections, facility requirements, etc.

Conservation Basics
This introductory workshop will summarize the basic care and preservation of a broad range of collection materials. This workshop will address the role and responsibility of cultural institutions in the preservation of their collections. It will provide participants with an understanding of the causes of deterioration and the principles of basic preservation. This course is designed to help develop skills in recognizing, assessing and preventing damage to artifacts, archival materials, and fine art. Participants will acquire practical information on how to properly preserve a variety of collection materials through the use of appropriate storage materials and techniques, display techniques and stabilization procedures.
1. Introductions and Agenda Review
2. Roles and Responsibilities of the Museum in Collections Care- Museum's Roles/Responsibility in Preserving Collections- Definition of Conservation- Collections Care Policy
3. Principles of Basic Preservation: Artifact MaterialsPrinciples of Basic Preservation: Causes of Deterioration and Controlling Deterioration- Light- Relative Humidity and Temperature- Air Pollutants and Ground Impurities- Mold
4. Controlling Deterioration- Insects and Rodents- Humans- Inherent Vice
5. Condition Reports- Purpose of Condition Reports- Forms

6. Conservation Treatments for Preservation and Stabilization- Guidelines for Decisions- Ethics- Dry-Surface Cleaning- Basic Techniques for Stabilization
7. Handling- Principles of Safe Handling- Equipment and Aids
8. Storage- Storage Area Design- Equipment- Preparing Artifacts for Storage
9. Exhibits- Exhibit Materials- Supports- Space
10. Summary Exercise - Storage and Display- Housekeeping- Security- Access Control- Surveillance- Exhibit AreasDisasters and Disaster Planning- Disaster Contingency Planning


ABSTRACTS

Positive Accountability
Stephen E. Weil, Emeritus Senior Scholar in the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Education and Museum Studies

Outcomes - Some Assembly Required
Karen Motylewski, Research Officer, Institute of Museum and Library Services

Accountability - Concept to Practice in Caring the Nation's Collections
Eileen Johnson, Curator of Anthropology, Museum of Texas Tech University
Valuing collections as heritage assets has brought about the awareness of a number of museum concepts, in particular accountability. This nation's collections are a public trust and those institutions and agencies caring for and managing those collections have a responsibility to the public. That responsibility is in terms of financial, legal, and ethical obligations. Accountability addresses the proper and appropriate acquiring, documentation, care, exhibition, and disposal of collections. These activities concern both policy and practice to ensure the well being of the collections, their usefulness, and accessibility. This session presents perspectives on establishing and maintaining accountability through which improved care and greater control of collections are achieved.

Some Legal and Ethical Concerns in Collections Accountability
Eileen Johnson, Curator of Anthropology, Museum of Texas Tech University
Curatorial facilities are accountable for the collections in their holdings as a matter of public trust and a demonstration of responsible action concerning the assets of that trust. Governance is vested in independent boards and government agencies, controlled by trust, corporation, state, and Federal laws. A major accountability tool is the collections management policy as a document that articulates a collections philosophy and day-to-day operations. Legal matters concern acquisition, deaccessions, loan, and inventory of collections whereas ethical matters within those concerns focus on appropriateness, conditions, and resource allocations. Accountability is an element of prudent governance and a measure of quality performance.
A Case Study of First Steps: The West Virginia Archaeological Collections Newly Embraced as a Heritage Asset
Holly Metz, Curator, Archaeological Collections Facility of West Virginia, Moundsville, West Virginia
After 20 years of neglect, the West Virginia Archaeological Collections have received a great deal of attention and support in recent years. Under the administration of the State Division of Culture and History, the collection has been housed in an appropriate facility, awarded significant state and federal funding, and new has two full-time curators. This paper presents accomplishments and challenges to date in establishing and maintaining accountability from the ground up, including facility development, policy creation, and instituting best practices for artifact and archive care.

Collecting Plan: What Is It and Why We All Need One
Terri Carnes, Collections Management Fellow, Museum of Texas Tech University
Susan Baxevanis, Collections Manager - Anthropology, Museum of Texas Tech University
As stewards of the nation's cultural heritage, curatorial facilities are held accountable for the management and use of collections in their care. One facet of good curatorship entails implementing proper and appropriate rules of acquiring collections. Controlling the acquisition, development, and refinement of collections is best achieved through a collecting plan. As a complement to the acquisition policy, this long-range strategic plan is directed at designing collection growth. The steps are outlined for construction a collection plan to guide curatorial facilities in building their ideal collection through a detailed evaluation.

The Missouri Basin Project Collections: A Study in Non-accountability
Karin M. Roberts, Curator, Midwest Archeological Center, National Park Service
Thomas D. Thiessen, Director, Midwest Archeological Center, Nation Park Service
The Missouri Basin Project (MBP) office of the Smithsonian Institution's River Basin Surveys program was transferred to the National Park Service (NPS) in 1969 and became the Midwest Archeological Center (MWAC). Care of many of the collections resulting from years of archeological work along the Missouri River also was transferred to the NPS. Most of these collections have been deposited in appropriate repositories, but many paper records resulting from MBP research remain at MWAC. Because these important collections do not fit under the current mission of the NPS, issues of responsibility and accountability for them continue to be unresolved.

Archaeology for the Nation: A Resource Guide to the Collections of the River Basin Surveys
Lynn Snyder, Deborah Hull-Walski, and James Krakker, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Over the course of nearly a quarter century of field work (1946-1969), the River Basin Surveys (RBS) Program investigated thousands of archeological sites and localities, recovering more than three million artifacts and related samples. The vast scale of this undertaking and resultant material, archival, and data collections, however, soon created problems of information and collections storage, maintenance, and access, problems which continue to this day. Because archaeological collections and excavation records were, during the course of the program, dispersed to both Federal and State repositories, a fundamental tool for effective awareness and continued use of these materials is a resource guide to the RBS collections. The Department of Anthropology, NMNH is currently developing such a guide, in both print and web based formats, which will provide a descriptive listing of the Smithsonian's RBS holdings, with links to related collections in other repositories. This guide will make these materials more readily accessible to archaeologists, museums, Native Americans, resource managers, historians, and public and private institutions across the country.

Presenting Your Backside to Increase Public Support
Elaine Hughes, Collections Manager, Museum of Northern Arizona
Museums, repositories, and agencies promote the concept that collections are cared for and retained on behalf of the public. Yet it is the public's perception that these collections are hidden and hoarded in dark, dusty storerooms where they languish and are forgotten. Behind-the-scenes programs are popular, but the public is left wondering "why" when the focus is object based. By addressing the "how," "what," and "why" during these programs, the result is an educated public that is more supportive of collections care activities and costs. The focus is on building public support through behind-the-scenes programs that demystify and explain accountability activities.

Loans Gone Bad: Old Loans - the Problem and Possible Solutions
Ildiko DeAngelis, Director, Museum Studies Program, The George Washington University
Stephanie Baldwinn, Attorney Fellow, Office of the Vice President and General Counsel, The George Washington University
Most, if not all museums, have them - 'old loans.' Unclaimed loans or 'old loans,' as they are known in the museum community, refer to property that has been left behind by its lender after the loan period has expired, or a loan originally left with the museum for an indefinite duration, but which remain in part because the museum and lender lost contact. In some cases, these 'old loans' are housed and maintained by museums in an uncertain status for decades - taking up valuable space and resources without possessing clear title. This session will discuss the problems that 'old loans' cause for museums, and will present various legal solutions, including the use of the Internet.

Building from the Best: Appreciative Inquiry I
Mary Case, Founding Director, Quality Management to a Higher Power; Assistant Professor, American University Washington Semester in the Arts; Former Director, Office of the Registrar, Smithsonian Institution; Editor, Registrars On Record; and principal author of the Smithsonian's Collections Management Policy and OPM's standard for Collections Managers GS-1016
These sessions introduce a philosophy for change that assumes that in every agency, every collections program, and every professional life, some things work. Identifying, analyzing, and exploring what works and why, facilitates necessary agency change and improvement more easily than traditional problems solving approaches. Using a positive (also penetrating and insightful) approach avoids much of the resistance, witch hunting, and defensiveness we see so often in Federal agency efforts to improve operations or staff effectiveness, evaluate collections and technology projects, or launch new programs.
This double session introduces the philosophy and techniques of Appreciative Inquiry of specific relevance to conference attendees. During the second session the attendees will apply the techniques to issues of specific importance to them, such as collections management issues, technology projects, collaboration and partnerships, conflict resolution, diversity, research, education, and career development.

The Costs of Archaeological Curation
Terry Childs and Karolyn Kinsey
Christopher B. Pulliam, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Natalie Drew, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Eugene A. Marino, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Dr. Michael K. Trimble, U.S. Army Corps Engineers
Federal archaeological collections have defined archaeological theory for the past century. Their management, however, has not approached the quality needed to ensure their continuity. Though the last decade has seen strides toward addressing collections management responsibilities, there is one notable exception. Many cultural resource managers still require: more detailed information to define 'adequate' curation and what it costs, and assistance to develop viable contractual vehicles to pay for curation. True partnerships between Federal agencies and repositories cannot ensue until each is aware of each other's needs and is equipped with a viable funding plan to meet those needs.

* Curation Fees across the United States: A Look at Some Trends
S. Terry Childs and Karolyn Kinsey
Archeology and Ethnography Program, NPS
In 1997 and 1998, we conducted an informal yet systematic study of the fees charged by U.S. repositories to curate incoming archaeological collections owned by other organizations. These fees were largely instituted to meet the costs of providing high-quality collections care and upholding professional standards. During the fall of 2002, we reinitiated the informal survey to update the existing data and to collect information from repositories not previously contacted. This paper provides current information on curation fee structures across the U.S., their current variability, and related trends over the last 5 years.

* Archival Processing for Hire, or How I Learned Not to Get Attached to My Collections
Natalie M. Drew
Mandatory Center of Expertise for the Curation and Management of Archaeological Collections, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Archival processing is a topic that is frequently heard in the archaeological curation community but is much less frequently practiced. Many curation facilities and archaeologists are unfamiliar with the procedures and costs involved in archival processing of archaeological associated documentation. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mandatory Center of Expertise for Curation and Management of Archaeological Collections' (MCX-CMAC), which is located in the St. Louis District, has established laboratory procedures for processing archaeological associated documentation collections. Since the MCX-CMAC laboratory is not a curation facility and performs archival processing for other institutions, this is a preliminary study of contract archival processing, the procedures followed, and the associated costs for preparing documentation for long-term curation.

* Curation Tasks: Understanding Where the Money Goes
Eugene A. Marino
Mandatory Center of Expertise for the Curation and Management of Archaeological Collections, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The past decade has seen an increase in the awareness of cultural resource managers with respect to their curation responsibilities. They realize they must budget for curation; however, per-box-costs provided by repositories often do not contain the information necessary to program sufficient funds. A better understanding of the tasks used to determine curation costs is required so federal managers can better appreciate how funds are used and thus become more equipped to justify curation expenditures to their finance departments. This level of communication between federal managers and curation personnel is tantamount to developing long-term partnerships to maintain federal archaeological collections.

* A New Approach to Annual Archaeological Collections Fees
Christopher B. Pulliam
Mandatory Center of Expertise for the Curation and Management of Archaeological Collections, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Costs for the care of archaeological collections (after excavation and analysis) can be placed into two broad categories-initial processing costs (the topic of two other presentations in this symposium) and annual maintenance costs. Historically, the expense for annual maintenance has been captured based on a per-cubic-foot cost, which varies significantly from repository to repository. A new approach that (1) identifies specific annual maintenance tasks (e.g., arrange for loans and displays, maintain a computer-assisted collections management retrieval system, accept additional collections, inspect and report on collections, and provide government access to collections), (2) determines the level of effort for each of these tasks, and (3) allows for differences based on the Department of Labor wage rates may prove to be the most effective, economic, logical, and defensible way to acquire annual services.

* Discussant
Dr. Michael K. Trimble
Mandatory Center of Expertise for the Curation and Management of Archaeological Collections,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Dispersed Collections - Will They Ever Find Their Siblings?
Stephanie Kelly, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution
Bill Wierzbowski, University of Pennsylvania
Over time, collections from the Army Medical Museum have become dispersed among a variety of museums. Speakers from several of these museums will discuss collaborative solutions to sharing collections information and concerns.

CITES and the Plant Rescue Center Program
Anne St. John, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arlington, VA
Steffanie Brainerd, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arlington, VA
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established the Plant Rescue Center (PRC) Program in 1978 in response to the need to care for plants forfeited to the U.S. Government due to noncompliance with the import/export requirements of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). CITES-listed plant specimens that enter the U.S. without proper documentation can be assigned to one of currently 68 PRCs. Plants placed in PRCs can be propagated and contribute to ex-situ conservation and research. PRCs benefit from ownership of the propagules of plants assigned to them.

Increasing Access to the Paleobotany Collection at The Field Museum Through Online Web-publishing
Y. Liu, R. Hines, W. Taylor, Department of Geology, The Field Museum
The Paleobotany Collection at The Field Museum is an important national and international resource for systematic and evolutionary plant biology. In order to encourage collection usage by the public, educators, and the scientific community, a new website is under construction. This new online resource will increase access to this significant collection, and offer the following benefits:
o Provide educational material for the public and instructors at all levels, through the use of digital images of specimens.
o Allow users to browse the collection database, speeding the selection of specimens for loan to colleagues in the scientific community.
o Facilitate the comparison of institutional collections management and curation policies, and fuel the exchange of ideas among collections management professionals.
o Maximize the research potential of Field Museum specimens

Building from the Best: Appreciative Inquiry II
Mary Case, Founding Director, Quality Management to a Higher Power; Assistant Professor, American University Washington Semester in the Arts; Former Director, Office of the Registrar, Smithsonian Institution; Editor, Registrars On Record; and principal author of the Smithsonian's Collections Management Policy and OPM's standard for Collections Managers GS-1016
These sessions introduce a philosophy for change that assumes that in every agency, every collections program, and every professional life, some things work. Identifying, analyzing, and exploring what works and why, facilitates necessary agency change and improvement more easily than traditional problems solving approaches. Using a positive (also penetrating and insightful) approach avoids much of the resistance, witch hunting, and defensiveness we see so often in Federal agency efforts to improve operations or staff effectiveness, evaluate collections and technology projects, or launch new programs.
This double session introduces the philosophy and techniques of Appreciative Inquiry of specific relevance to conference attendees. During the second session the attendees will apply the techniques to issues of specific importance to them, such as collections management issues, technology projects, collaboration and partnerships, conflict resolution, diversity, research, education, and career development.

Partnership, Collaboration, and Creative Management: An Example from San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
This session focuses on the partnership between San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and the University of Texas, San Antonio's Center for Archeological Research for the stewardship of the federally associated collections. The care and management of the missions of San Antonio have undergone many changes throughout modern history. This session discusses the complexities of ownership, management and responsibility for the collections. It also discusses the significance of these collections for research and further understanding of the Spanish Colonial period in world history, and the need to coordinate this research throughout the Spanish Missions system.
* Paper 1: Administrative History
Steve Whitesell, Superintendent, and Susan Snow, Archeologist, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park was established by act of Congress in November 1978. By 1983 the National Park Service had begun to manage Mission San Jose, Mission Concepcion, Mission San Juan and Mission Espada. In 1990 Rancho de las Cabras, historically associated with the missions, was included in a boundary adjustment. The San Antonio Conservation Society, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and the Archdiocese of San Antonio variously ran the missions before NPS management. These administrative changes have had significant effects on the use, control, and responsibility of the artifact collections from these sites.
* Paper 2: History of Archeological Investigations
Susan Snow, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Anne Fox, University of Texas San Antonio - Center for Archeological Research
Due to the numerous administrative changes through time, the footprint of activity at the missions is various and complex. The earliest known archeological investigations took place during Harvey P. Smith's WPA restoration of Mission San Jose. The next major excavation was sponsored by the Witte Museum and the Archdiocese in 1967 at Mission San Juan. Other participants in archeological investigations include the Texas Historical Commission, NPS, and UTSA-CAR. These investigations and the dispersal of associated collections are the main focus of this paper.
* Paper 3: Ownership Issues
Steve Whitesell, Superintendent, and Susan Snow, Archeologist, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Susan Snow, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
The complexity of ownership and management responsibilities for the San Antonio Missions allows for creative custodianship of the standing structures and the collections derived from excavations at these sites. Although the Archdiocese of San Antonio maintains ownership of the working churches at all four mission sites and retains ownership of the three mission sites, the management of these lands and their resources falls to the NPS. Other stakeholders in the missions, such as the San Antonio Conservation Society, the Texas Historical Commission, and the Los Compadres Friends group, provide input and guidance on the interpretation and protection of these sites.
* Paper 4: Collaboration between San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and the University of Texas San Antonio, Center for Archeological Research (UTSA-CAR)
Marybeth Tomka, Curator, University of Texas San Antonio, Center for Archeological Research
Susan Snow, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Since the 1970s the Texas Historical Commission has designated the Center for Archeological Research (CAR) as the official repository for mission sites. Historically CAR had served as the unofficial "protector" through the efforts of concerned staff. In the 1990s, CAR became the primary archeological contractor for the National Park Service at the missions. In 2000 NPS and CAR began working together to bring these and all of the mission collections into the Automated National Catalog System and work together to upgrade CAR's infrastructure to meet NPS museum standards. This partnership will allow increased access to the collections for students, faculty and outside researchers.
* Paper 5: Research Potential of Mission Collections
Steve Tomka, Director, University of Texas San Antonio, Center for Archeological Research
Anne Fox, Curator, University of Texas San Antonio, Center for Archeological Research
The San Antonio Missions and the Rancho de las Cabras collections are part of CAR's Spanish Colonial collection consisting of several hundred thousand specimens. The artifacts include large numbers of stone tools and debitage, gunflints and ceramics made by Native Americans and the majolica and lead-glazed wares from ceramic manufacturing centers of Northern Mexico that supplied the Texas missions with utilitarian wares. These collections document the roots and the emergence of the multi-cultural tapestry of Texas and have never been fully investigated to expose the many facets of Spanish Colonial culture, and document their impacts on indigenous Native cultures.
* Paper 6: Mission Initiative
Steve Whitesell, Superintendent, and Susan Snow, Archeologist, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
The need to coordinate efforts to preserve the built portions of Spanish Colonial resources of the Southwestern U.S. and Northern Mexico has launched the beginning of a Missions Initiative. This initiative would coordinate the interpretation, research, and inter-organizational information sharing of the missions and related sites. Included in these resources are the large federally associated collections of artifacts and archival material that would be brought together into one or more centers for mission research. These centers would enhance accessibility of the collections facilitating further use for research and interpretation.

Combining the Old with New: How Historic Collections of Native Plant Species and Modern Geographical Information Systems Software Can Inform Decision-making in the San Jacinto Mountains, Riverside County, California
James M.Bryant, Curator of Natural History, Riverside Municipal Museum
Rusty Russell, Collections Manager, Division of Botany, National Museum of Natural History
Monica Ballon, Museum Technician, Riverside Municipal Museum
Santa Rosa-San Jacinto Mountains National Monument strategic planning has only just begun. The Riverside Municipal Museum's Clark Herbarium and the United States National Herbarium have combined GIS technology and historic data to interpret regional flora and provide a potential planning tool. Using specimen locality descriptions from both collections (imported into ArcView) and a base map from University of California - Riverside, collecting localities are plotted and botanical data sets embellished with images of specimens and collecting sites. Additional GIS themes could include a historic place names gazetteer, collecting routes of famous botanists, and seasonal plant collecting routes used by Native peoples.

NAGPRA Forum
Paula Molloy, National NAGPRA Program, National Park Service
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) requires museums and Federal agencies to summarize, inventory, and, where appropriate, repatriate Native American human remains and cultural items in their collections. When federally owned collections are located in non-federal repositories, tensions can arise regarding NAGPRA responsibilities. This forum will explore ways to resolve such tensions, and will examine several key issues, including possession, control, consultation, reporting, and repatriation. This session will feature an invited panel of agency and museum representatives, and will include ample time for open discussion.

Current Federal Financial Accounting Standards, Requirements for Heritage Assets, and Related Issues
Wyndolyn M. Comes, Director, Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board
Melissa Loughan, Project Manager, Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board,
The Legal Mandates of Collection Stewardship
Sherry Hutt, Smithsonian Fellow, and former Maricopa County Superior Court Judge
New Rules for Reporting Heritage Assets
Guess, Grassilli,
Rick Abertson, Systems Plus, Inc.
The rules for reporting heritage assets have been a moving target for many years, which has created much confusion. Yet, auditors continue to analyze Federal Government Agencies as if the rules for accounting and reporting heritage assets are clear.
Systems Plus proposes to provide lucid insight for custodians of heritage assets to successfully engage heritage asset audits and understanding the labyrinthine rules for heritage assets prescribed by federal regulations.
We will provide a clear understanding of the federal regulations and federal government audit techniques applied to heritage assets. Areas covered will include: conducting inventories, identification, categorization, measurement, materiality, condition, and auditor assurance.

Public/Private Partnerships
Nancy Weiss, General Counsel, Institute for Museum and Library Services
Hope O'Keeffe, Acting General Counsel, National Endowment for the Arts
Working with outside parties, such as corporations, individual donors, and other for-profit and not for profit organizations, in developing, funding, publicizing, and carrying out museum programs and exhibits raises a host of legal and policy issues. In this session, we will explore statutory, agency ethics, and federal appropriations law issues that arise when federal and nonfederal partners work together. These issues range from sponsorship, endorsement, and exclusivity to fundraising and gift acceptance to content and curatorial decision-making to navigating government contracting procedures. The session will use case studies and scenarios to stimulate dialogue on how federal museums and agencies are addressing these issues.

Response to Unforseen Disasters: The Case of Anthrax Contamination at the
Senate Hart Office Building
Melinda Smith, Associate Curator
Deborah Wood, Registrar
Jamie Arbolino, Associate Registrar
Mark Lank & Mark Silverman, U. S. Art
Christian Matta, EPA
On October 23, 2001, an anthrax-contaminated letter was opened in the Senate Hart Office Building. By October 29, the EPA's investigations to determine a decontamination process for the building grew to include consideration of the effects of decontamination on the contents of the building, including works of art. Although the art to be affected, with one or two exceptions, was not part of the Senate collection or on loan through the Curator's Office, our office was asked to coordinate with the EPA to devise a plan that would minimize the destructive effects of the decontamination process for works of art. The role played by the Curator's Office was two-fold: 1) to collect information from each office affected by the anthrax contamination and process this information as a guide for decisions regarding remediation priorities; 2) to devise procedures and communicate with the EPA and Senate offices so that procedures were followed and the risk of damage minimized.
Our panel discussion will focus on the information processing and the communication aspects of this disaster response situation. Staff of the Curator's Office will outline the steps involved in gathering information about art from offices that are not museum oriented, then communicating this information to the EPA and Senate leadership throughout the remediation process. U.S. Art personnel will give an overview of their role: their company was brought in to serve as a communication link to the non-museum personnel carrying out the remediation, to provide training in basic art handling techniques and devise ways to modify these practices for the unique circumstances at an anthrax contamination site. Chris Matta will provide the EPA perspective, how concerns for preserving art were balanced with the overriding concerns for health and safety and the pressure from Senate leadership regarding the project's schedule. The conclusion will be an open discussion of issues related to information gathering and communication among disparate organizations with different priorities that are key to the effectiveness of disaster response.
Neighbors to the President Museum Consortium
The twelve museums of the Neighbors to the President Museum Consortium gain visibility and increased effectiveness in the community through their cooperative efforts. The Consortium sites partner to raise awareness of off-the-National Mall cultural attractions through print and electronic media, and educational programming. These partnerships make the most of scarce financial and staff resources. Optimizing the benefits derived from collaborating with other museums will be the focus of this session.

The New Capitol Visitor Center
Marty Sewell
Save America's Treasures Program
Candace Katz, Deputy Director, President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Susan Thomas, Anasazi Heritage Center
Hear and overview of this federal funding opportunity for saving America's collections treasures, and view slides of funded projects.
Public/Private Partnerships
Smith-Christmas,
What Next? Disaster Planning in the Wake of 9/11
Jane Long, Director, Heritage Emergency National Task Force
TBD, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
TBD. Smithsonian Institution
The Heritage Emergency National Task Force, co-sponsored by Heritage Preservation and FEMA, is a partnership of Federal agencies and national associations established in 1995 to help protect museums, archives, libraries, and historic sites from disasters. The Task Force produced a survey report on cultural properties lost on 9/11/2001.
Partners and Parks: Scientific Collecting and Collections Management
Ann Hitchcock, Chief Curator, National Park Service
The National Park Service has major new initiatives and procedures affecting scientific specimen collecting in parks and the future management of these collections. Learn about the natural resource Inventory and Monitoring Program, the interagency Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units network, and the role of partner institutions in these initiatives. View the new online permitting process and hear about its use in managing natural and social science activities in parks and the resulting data. Gain an overview of "benefits sharing" between partners and parks and the implications for future scientific research. Review current procedures and future strategies for managing NPS specimen collections. Join in discussion with NPS and partner institutions.

Tools for Facilitating Partnerships
Delia Emmerich, Office of Acquisition and Property Management, U.S. Department of the Interior
Managing Collections in Non-Museum Environments
Agony and Ecstasy: Relocating the Small Collection
Vicki R. Herrmann, Librarian Emeritus, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
Even without the impetus of disaster, small collections seem to move more frequently than large ones. Share in a discussion of political and physical advantages and disadvantages to portability of the small collection, practical suggestions for exploiting - or at least coping with - the inevitable, and the ultimate goal of improvement for collection and curator alike.
A trip to Washington for many conference attendees involves little more than work, a view of hotels and a quick visit to the Mall. Beyond your hotel room and the Mall there is a beautiful city waiting for you to see. Join D.C. resident and renowned tour guide Bob Sonderman on a whirlwind tour of one of the world's great cities as only a local can give.

How Bodies Attract: Capitalizing on Changing Perceptions of Museum Content
J.T.H. Connor, Assistant Director, National Museum of Health and Medicine, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
Lenore Barbian, Assistant Curator, Anatomical Collections, National Museum of Health and Medicine, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
Since its creation in 1862 by the Surgeon General, the National Museum of Health and Medicine, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (formerly the Army Medical Museum) has collected, preserved, and exhibited pathological specimens and other human remains. Like sister medical museums it was deemed, as pathologists Dr. J. G. Adami noted in 1908 at a meeting of the International Association of Medical Museums held in Washington, D.C., to be a "painfully specialized" institution that appealed to a "different class of society" and not the "general public." Ironically, by the turn of the twentieth century and up to the present, the museum and its exhibits have had a strong appeal for general "public" audiences. This paper explores how bodies and/or their parts attract people; outlines what may be deemed appropriate for display based on visitor surveys and focus groups; and discusses current scholarly interest in the history, social construction, and material culture of the human body as an avenue to enhance use of "painfully specialized" museum collections. Although the National Museum of Health and Medicine is not being put forward as a model for emulation, this paper can be seen as presenting a case history that adds to our knowledge of who uses federally associated museums; suggests how we can increase access to them; and identifies opportunities and challenges as key stakeholders change.

Caring for 'Sacred or Culturally Sensitive' Objects - Pushing the Envelope on Traditional Approaches
Jim Pepper Henry, Repatriation Manager, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution
Bill Billeck, Director, Repatriation Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Confronted with new challenges of managing 'sacred or culturally sensitive' objects, museums have adapted. This session will discuss how museum staffs have taken the initiative to address and implement new policies and methods of collections management for 'sacred or culturally sensitive' objects based on the values of ethnic and contemporary cultures. Panelists will discuss any conflicts or challenges they have faced in the practical application of museum standards.
Topics may include: the general management and reinterpretation of 'sacred or culturally sensitive' objects, object packing for repatriation, the care and use of objects that are not being repatriated, the ceremonial use of museum objects, access and use of archival records, handling and care of chemically treated ceremonial objects, and the design and display of objects.

Metrics, Performance Measures, and Strategic Planning
Carole Neves, Director, Office of Policy and Analysis, Smithsonian Institution
TBD, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Ross Simons, Associate Director for Research and Collections, Smithsonian Institution
Beth Merritt, American Association of Museums
Kristen Overbeck-Laise/Nadina Gardner, Heritage Preservation
In the current fiscal environment, museums and agency museum programs must be better prepared to measure their activities and performance in relation to their mission and goals. This session will discuss varying ways to assess collection conditions and needs, establish museum performance measures, and link these instruments to long-term strategic planning and resource allocation.

Recovering the Monitor
John Broadwater, Manager, Monitor National Maritime Sanctuary, NOAA

9/11/01 Lessons Learned from the Pentagon
Jennifer Castro, Collections Manager, Museums Branch, Marine Corps History and Museums Division
Mark Wertheimer, Curator/Registrar, Curator Branch, Naval Historical Center
As a result of September 11, 2001, the Department of Defense's historical offices have joined together to respond to the attack on the Pentagon. Normally, each of the service branch historical offices has a responsibility to collect, preserve, and interpret the operational, technological, and cultural aspects of the development of their individual service, but after September 11 came the additional mission of documenting the terrorist attack on DOD's headquarters building. This presentation incorporates images of the Pentagon as a disaster site, documents the recovery efforts and problems that were encountered, and discusses the efforts to recover historical property from the Pentagon. The discussion covers: the objectives of the recovery team, the scope of work for the recovery efforts, the Pentagon's treatment as a crime scene, issues concerning equipment, hazmat, and safety, and the removal and staging of historic property, as well as the results of our overall efforts. The presentation concludes with the important lessons that were learned from the recovery efforts.
Brett Eaton
Prior to the inception of the Pentagon Renovation Program in 1993, the Pentagon had never undergone a major renovation. I addition to making the Pentagon compliant with current building codes, several safety and security measures were implemented as part of the renovation process. Despite the tremendous amount of damage caused by the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, improvements made by the Pentagon Renovation Program helped save lives and prevent further destruction. The Pentagon Renovation Program challenged itself to rebuild from the damage and re-occupy the outer-ring of offices at the point of impact by the one-year anniversary of the attack. The first tenants are scheduled to move back into these offices in mid-August, approximately four weeks ahead of schedule. The Renovation Program is continuing its plan to renovate the remaining 4.5 million square feet of Pentagon building space. The schedule for completion has not been delayed by the terrorist attack but actually advanced by four years, from 2014 to 2010, to incorporate lessons learned from September 11 into the rest of building. These lessons learned primarily address protection from fire, blast and chemical, biological and radiological events. This is being accomplished through a dedicated work force, strong leadership and an innovative contracting approach.